For more deployment health information visit DHCC Web site www.pdhealth.mil
April 15, 2008Military Releases High Casualty FiguresDepartment Of Defense's Latest Numbers: 31,590 Troops Wounded On Battle FieldThe Department of Defense has released its latest American military causality numbers for those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the figures reveal non-fatal casualties that go well beyond the more than 4,000 U.S. troops who have died so far. As of April 5, a total of 36,082 members of the U.S. military have been wounded in action and killed in Iraq, since the beginning of the war in March 2003, and in Afghanistan, where the war there began in October 2001. The 36,082 number breaks down to 4,492 deaths and 31,590 wounded. According to the same DoD "casualty" counts, an additional 38,631 U.S. military personnel have also been removed from the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan for "non-hostile-related medical air transports."Source : CBS Evening News Caring for veterans' mental healthConference's focus: Going 'beyond the yellow ribbon' There are 160,000 American troops in Iraq. "If everybody comes home tomorrow," said Frederick Bush of the Upstate Veterans Affairs Health Care Network, "and comes to the VA on Monday, we're probably going to have some longer than normal wait times." Bush was kidding the standing-room-only crowd at an annual conference of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz. But his point was a serious one: America's veterans are going to need a lot of therapy for a very long time. Not all, Bush said, will battle post traumatic stress disorder, but nearly every one will struggle to readjust in the civilian world.Source : Times Herald-Record 3.3% rate of divorce holds, Pentagon saysResults surprising considering stress wars are putting on couplesThe divorce rate in the armed forces held steady last year at 3.3 percent, a surprising finding given the stress that marriages are under during persistent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.Source : Honolulu Advertiser Army fights STDs with free condomsTwo thousand free condoms are being placed in Army gyms and clubs around Kaiserslautern in an effort to combat sexually transmitted diseases. Clear plastic bins began showing up late Friday afternoon with stickers that read: "Readiness doesn't end when the uniform comes off." Source : Stars and Stripes New Smallpox Vaccine Proves Effective in MiceThe Danish pharmaceutical firm Bavarian Nordic announced last week that a single dose of its next-generation Imvamune smallpox vaccine can protect mice against a virus similar to smallpox.Source : Global Security Newswire
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Suicides Shut VA Psychiatric Ward
Officials Act After Fourth Suicide Of Year Hits Dallas VA Hospital
The VA North Texas Health Care System ordered the shutdown of the Dallas VA Medical Center after a man hanged himself April 4. (Dept. of Veterans Affairs)
(CBS/AP) A fourth suicide among mentally ill patients treated at the Dallas VA Medical Center this year has led the hospital to close its psychiatric ward, and investigators from the national Veterans Affairs office are expected to arrive next week to assess safety. Joseph Dalpiaz, director of the VA North Texas Health Care System, ordered the shutdown after a man hanged himself April 4. The hospital stopped admitting patients to its 51-bed psychiatric unit the next day. Dalpiaz "decided he wanted to ... give us some time to assess the environment of care and make sure things were as safe as possible in our patient unit," said Dr. Catherine Orsak, head of mental health for the VA's North Texas health system. In January, two men who met in the hospital's psychiatric ward committed suicide days after being released. The third to commit suicide was a veteran who hanged himself on a frame attached to his wheelchair. Last November, CBS News broke the story of the staggering number of veterans who commit suicide. The report was the result of a five-month investigation into veteran suicides. The results were startling: according to data from 45 states, 6,256 men and women who had served in the armed forces took their own lives in 2005 - that's 120 suicides every week. Chief Investigative Correspondent Armen Keteyian and his investigative team found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide that year than non-veterans.
Read the original investigation: Suicide Epidemic Among Veterans Follow up: VA Struggles With Vets' Mental Health. How we got the numbers behind the story. VA Doctor on Veteran Suicides. Congress Looks at Veteran Suicides. Read our viewers' feedback after the investigation. The safety of the Dallas psychiatric ward is to be assessed by investigators visiting from the national VA offices, The Dallas Morning News reported in its Tuesday editions. Doctors sent patient records and other documents to Washington last week for review. Orsak said the hospital has spent more than $250,000 the past six months to eliminate suicide risks. Door knobs were replaced, showers curtains and plumbing were retrofitted, and light fixtures were modified to remove rigid outcroppings veterans might use in hanging themselves. While new patients are not being admitted to the hospital's psychiatric unit, 10 veterans are still being treated there. Orsak said the hospital has increased staffing and checks to ensure their safety. Shirley Bemps, who said her husband committed suicide in the psychiatric ward in February, said she blames doctors for her husband's death. "If he was a high-risk patient like they said, he should have been watched and monitored," Bemps said. "They haven't called me to offer condolences. They won't even respond to me. I just feel cheated." Orsak said she did not know when the psychiatric unit would reopen to new patients. In the meantime, she said mentally ill veterans would be treated at VA hospitals in Waco and Temple and nearby private treatment centers.
The VA North Texas Health Care System ordered the shutdown of the Dallas VA Medical Center after a man hanged himself April 4. (Dept. of Veterans Affairs)
(CBS/AP) A fourth suicide among mentally ill patients treated at the Dallas VA Medical Center this year has led the hospital to close its psychiatric ward, and investigators from the national Veterans Affairs office are expected to arrive next week to assess safety. Joseph Dalpiaz, director of the VA North Texas Health Care System, ordered the shutdown after a man hanged himself April 4. The hospital stopped admitting patients to its 51-bed psychiatric unit the next day. Dalpiaz "decided he wanted to ... give us some time to assess the environment of care and make sure things were as safe as possible in our patient unit," said Dr. Catherine Orsak, head of mental health for the VA's North Texas health system. In January, two men who met in the hospital's psychiatric ward committed suicide days after being released. The third to commit suicide was a veteran who hanged himself on a frame attached to his wheelchair. Last November, CBS News broke the story of the staggering number of veterans who commit suicide. The report was the result of a five-month investigation into veteran suicides. The results were startling: according to data from 45 states, 6,256 men and women who had served in the armed forces took their own lives in 2005 - that's 120 suicides every week. Chief Investigative Correspondent Armen Keteyian and his investigative team found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide that year than non-veterans.
Read the original investigation: Suicide Epidemic Among Veterans Follow up: VA Struggles With Vets' Mental Health. How we got the numbers behind the story. VA Doctor on Veteran Suicides. Congress Looks at Veteran Suicides. Read our viewers' feedback after the investigation. The safety of the Dallas psychiatric ward is to be assessed by investigators visiting from the national VA offices, The Dallas Morning News reported in its Tuesday editions. Doctors sent patient records and other documents to Washington last week for review. Orsak said the hospital has spent more than $250,000 the past six months to eliminate suicide risks. Door knobs were replaced, showers curtains and plumbing were retrofitted, and light fixtures were modified to remove rigid outcroppings veterans might use in hanging themselves. While new patients are not being admitted to the hospital's psychiatric unit, 10 veterans are still being treated there. Orsak said the hospital has increased staffing and checks to ensure their safety. Shirley Bemps, who said her husband committed suicide in the psychiatric ward in February, said she blames doctors for her husband's death. "If he was a high-risk patient like they said, he should have been watched and monitored," Bemps said. "They haven't called me to offer condolences. They won't even respond to me. I just feel cheated." Orsak said she did not know when the psychiatric unit would reopen to new patients. In the meantime, she said mentally ill veterans would be treated at VA hospitals in Waco and Temple and nearby private treatment centers.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
El Paso Veterans Affairs system nation's worst
El Paso health care needs 'radical changes'By Chris Roberts / El Paso TimesArticle Launched: 04/06/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
Copyright 2008 The El Paso Veterans Affairs Health Care System is the worst in the nation, according to an internal performance survey, the El Paso Times has learned. Reported problems at the El Paso VA involve patient care, outreach, technology, medical equipment and supplies, and staff morale that apparently resulted in threats of "mass resignations." The situation prompted a visit Friday from U.S. Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Asked whether he thought the El Paso VA was failing local veterans, Filner answered, "No question." The El Paso VA is not providing the level of customer service it should, system Director Bruce E. Stewart said late Friday, but it has made recent improvements. And, in some cases, the way the El Paso VA answered survey items gave a wrong impression, he added. Although Filner said he saw reason for optimism after meeting with top El Paso VA staff, including Stewart, he said he told them he would conduct a congressional hearing if things did not improve in the near future. "It seemed clear to me that the culture of the place needed some radical changes," Filner said in an exclusive interview with the El Paso Times. "There wasn't a service orientation." Filner said the problems in El Paso also are symptoms of a systemwide culture that doesn't put veteran care first, but all too often focuses on cost-cutting. He said the present funding mechanism -- which doesn't provide enough money to get through a year without supplemental budgets -- is a major stumbling block for the department. The Department of Veterans Affairs Web site lists more than 70 health-care systems, which can include other types of treatment centers. "He (Filner) has been leading the effort around the country to make sure we're doing a better job taking care of veterans," said U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, who asked Filner to make the trip and also attended the meeting Friday. Congress has put together the largest budget in the department's history, Reyes said. The additional money, Stewart said, is allowing him to hire more than 100 people, which will significantly improve the overall quality of care provided by the agency. The survey -- which measured clinical quality, access and patient satisfaction -- scored the El Paso VA at 71.4, while the national average was 81.3, according to a letter to Reyes from Susan P. Bowers, VA Southwest Healthcare Network VISN 18 director. The letter, dated Feb. 29, was provided by Reyes' office in response to an El Paso Times request for information on the survey, which was concluded last fall. "This is the lowest aggregate score in the country, and is (an) area of significant concern," wrote Bowers, who was at the meeting Friday. A 1.9 percent decline in visits from 2006 to 2007, reported by Bowers, is an indication some veterans are giving up on the El Paso VA, Reyes said. However, Bowers praised Stewart for consistently approving "the immediate recruitment of any physician position as soon as there is an indication that the position will be vacated," and added that "many of the problems noted existed when Stewart assumed responsibility as the director." El Paso veterans advocate Ron Holmes, who attended the meeting, said he has worked with three El Paso VA directors. He said he and another veterans advocate were promised a more-direct way of passing along problems veterans are experiencing. "Let's wait and see," Holmes said Saturday. "I would like to say we've got new people, and we're carrying baggage from the last group." A long-standing problem for the El Paso VA has been it's "front door" -- the telephone system. During the past two years, Bowers wrote, hold times on the system have dropped from an average of more than two hours to fewer than 15 minutes. A new phone system, which is installed and being debugged, Stewart said, will provide VA officials with the data they need to identify bottlenecks. That will include finding out why veterans are calling so that staffers can be allocated in a way that allows more calls to be answered by humans instead of recordings, he said. Regarding a complaint that a "large" backlog of patients are waiting for outside consultant visits because of slow payments or nonpayments by VA, Bowers said no "significant issues" have been brought to the attention of the financial department, although she added, "there have been isolated instances of problems in individual cases" that were quickly resolved. Although Bowers acknowledged that there have been delays making appointments in specialty areas such as eye care and urology that "are short staffed internally as well as in the community," she wrote that nearly all primary-care appointments for new and established patients are completed within 30 days of the desired date. An extended-hours program requested by Reyes to allow for walk-in patients who can't leave their jobs during the day was "designed to fail," in part due to inadequate publicity, according to a summary of complaints provided by Reyes' office. Veterans also were required to get appointments rather than simply walk in. Bowers wrote that the after-hours clinic was not set up for walk-ins "because of the level of staffing that would be required to make that a safe and effective model. Essentially, all areas of the clinic would have to be open during that time if (the El Paso VA) were to adopt that model." But both congressmen said Bowers' response illustrated the problem. Rather than detailed explanations of why the programs won't work, they said they wanted to see proposals -- including requests for more money or other resources, if necessary -- that would make them work. "Maybe two days a week they could open at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. and stay open late at night," Filner said. Filner said he asked Bowers to rewrite her response with a focus on what can be done to improve things, and both congressmen said they planned a follow-up meeting in the near future. "Being rated lowest in the nation was a huge embarrassment, and I think they're committed to changing," Filner said, but he added, "It doesn't change with one meeting." Chris Roberts may be reached at chrisr@elpasotimes.com; 546-6136. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Reference: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Copyright 2008 The El Paso Veterans Affairs Health Care System is the worst in the nation, according to an internal performance survey, the El Paso Times has learned. Reported problems at the El Paso VA involve patient care, outreach, technology, medical equipment and supplies, and staff morale that apparently resulted in threats of "mass resignations." The situation prompted a visit Friday from U.S. Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Asked whether he thought the El Paso VA was failing local veterans, Filner answered, "No question." The El Paso VA is not providing the level of customer service it should, system Director Bruce E. Stewart said late Friday, but it has made recent improvements. And, in some cases, the way the El Paso VA answered survey items gave a wrong impression, he added. Although Filner said he saw reason for optimism after meeting with top El Paso VA staff, including Stewart, he said he told them he would conduct a congressional hearing if things did not improve in the near future. "It seemed clear to me that the culture of the place needed some radical changes," Filner said in an exclusive interview with the El Paso Times. "There wasn't a service orientation." Filner said the problems in El Paso also are symptoms of a systemwide culture that doesn't put veteran care first, but all too often focuses on cost-cutting. He said the present funding mechanism -- which doesn't provide enough money to get through a year without supplemental budgets -- is a major stumbling block for the department. The Department of Veterans Affairs Web site lists more than 70 health-care systems, which can include other types of treatment centers. "He (Filner) has been leading the effort around the country to make sure we're doing a better job taking care of veterans," said U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, who asked Filner to make the trip and also attended the meeting Friday. Congress has put together the largest budget in the department's history, Reyes said. The additional money, Stewart said, is allowing him to hire more than 100 people, which will significantly improve the overall quality of care provided by the agency. The survey -- which measured clinical quality, access and patient satisfaction -- scored the El Paso VA at 71.4, while the national average was 81.3, according to a letter to Reyes from Susan P. Bowers, VA Southwest Healthcare Network VISN 18 director. The letter, dated Feb. 29, was provided by Reyes' office in response to an El Paso Times request for information on the survey, which was concluded last fall. "This is the lowest aggregate score in the country, and is (an) area of significant concern," wrote Bowers, who was at the meeting Friday. A 1.9 percent decline in visits from 2006 to 2007, reported by Bowers, is an indication some veterans are giving up on the El Paso VA, Reyes said. However, Bowers praised Stewart for consistently approving "the immediate recruitment of any physician position as soon as there is an indication that the position will be vacated," and added that "many of the problems noted existed when Stewart assumed responsibility as the director." El Paso veterans advocate Ron Holmes, who attended the meeting, said he has worked with three El Paso VA directors. He said he and another veterans advocate were promised a more-direct way of passing along problems veterans are experiencing. "Let's wait and see," Holmes said Saturday. "I would like to say we've got new people, and we're carrying baggage from the last group." A long-standing problem for the El Paso VA has been it's "front door" -- the telephone system. During the past two years, Bowers wrote, hold times on the system have dropped from an average of more than two hours to fewer than 15 minutes. A new phone system, which is installed and being debugged, Stewart said, will provide VA officials with the data they need to identify bottlenecks. That will include finding out why veterans are calling so that staffers can be allocated in a way that allows more calls to be answered by humans instead of recordings, he said. Regarding a complaint that a "large" backlog of patients are waiting for outside consultant visits because of slow payments or nonpayments by VA, Bowers said no "significant issues" have been brought to the attention of the financial department, although she added, "there have been isolated instances of problems in individual cases" that were quickly resolved. Although Bowers acknowledged that there have been delays making appointments in specialty areas such as eye care and urology that "are short staffed internally as well as in the community," she wrote that nearly all primary-care appointments for new and established patients are completed within 30 days of the desired date. An extended-hours program requested by Reyes to allow for walk-in patients who can't leave their jobs during the day was "designed to fail," in part due to inadequate publicity, according to a summary of complaints provided by Reyes' office. Veterans also were required to get appointments rather than simply walk in. Bowers wrote that the after-hours clinic was not set up for walk-ins "because of the level of staffing that would be required to make that a safe and effective model. Essentially, all areas of the clinic would have to be open during that time if (the El Paso VA) were to adopt that model." But both congressmen said Bowers' response illustrated the problem. Rather than detailed explanations of why the programs won't work, they said they wanted to see proposals -- including requests for more money or other resources, if necessary -- that would make them work. "Maybe two days a week they could open at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. and stay open late at night," Filner said. Filner said he asked Bowers to rewrite her response with a focus on what can be done to improve things, and both congressmen said they planned a follow-up meeting in the near future. "Being rated lowest in the nation was a huge embarrassment, and I think they're committed to changing," Filner said, but he added, "It doesn't change with one meeting." Chris Roberts may be reached at chrisr@elpasotimes.com; 546-6136. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Reference: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Combat Related Special Compensation
Simply put Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) allows certain military retirees to receive both their military retirement pay and VA Disability Compensation. This means that qualified military retirees with 20 or more years of service that have a "combat related" VA-rated disability no longer have their military retirement pay reduced by the amount of their VA disability compensation. The following is a summary of Combat-Related Special Compensation:2008 CRSC Update Combat-Related Special Compensation Eligibility The Value of the CRSC Benefit The Application Process2008 Update: The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law on January 29, 2008, includes changes to Chapter 61 retiree eligibility, a new component for (CRSC). This legislation expands eligibility to medical retirees with less than 20 years of service, effective January 1, 2008. Medically retired veterans must still provide documentation that shows a causal link between a current VA disability and a combat related event. CRSC EligibilityCombat Related Special Compensation eligibility includes disabilities incurred as a direct result of: Armed Conflict (gunshot wounds, purple heart, etc) Training that Simulates War (Exercises, field training, etc) Hazardous Duty (flight, diving, parachute duty) An Instrumentality of War (combat vehicles, weapons, agent orange, etc)The following are the current CRSC eligibility requirements: Retirees must apply to their respective branch of service to be approved for CRSC. Retirees must be in receipt of VA compensation. Retirees must be in receipt of military retired pay. Retirees must have an approved combat-related VA disability rating of 10% or greater. Retirees from active-duty must have 20 years of active service. Chapter 61 Medical Retirees with less than 20 years. Retired reservists must have 20 years of qualifying service (supported by documentation from the applicable branch of service such as a 20-year letter, retirement orders or a statement of service) in order to be eligible.Please note that qualified reservists will not receive CRSC until they begin to receive retired pay at age 60.Temporary Early Retirement Authorization (TERA) retirees are not eligible to receive CRSC unless they have returned to active duty and accumulated enough service time to meet the 20-year requirement before retiring for the second time.Back to TopThe Value of the CRSC Benefit:The following table shows a sampling of how much extra you may get each month based on your VA disability rating.Combat related VA Disability RatingMonthly CRSC100%$2,52790%$1,51780%$1,34970%$1,16160%$92150%$72840%$51230%$35620%$23010%$117Back to TopThe CRSC Application Process:To receive Combat Related Special Compensation you must submit your application (DD form 2860), through your parent military service branch. Each service branch has the authority to determine your eligibility.For more information on how to apply contact your parent military service branch: ARMY: Department of the ArmyU.S. Army Physical Disability AgencyCombat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC)200 Stovall StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22332-0470Toll-free: 1-866-281-3254Hours: 8am - 8pm ESTE-mail your questions to: CRSC.info@us.army.milOr visit: http://www.crsc.army.milNAVY AND MARINE CORPS:Department of Navy Naval Council of Personnel BoardsCombat-Related Special Compensation Branch720 Kennon Street S.E., Suite 309 Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5023Toll free 1-877-366-2772 Or visit the Navy CRSC Review Board website.AIR FORCE:United States Air Force Personnel CenterDisability Division (CRSC)550 C Street West, Suite 6Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4708(Toll Free 1-800-616-3775) Fax: 1-210-565-1101E-Mail: afpc.dppdc.afcrsc@randolph.af.milOr visit the Air Force CRSC websiteCOAST GUARD:Commander (adm-1-CRSC)U.S. Coast Guard Personnel Command 4200 Wilson BlvdArlington VA 22203Click here for Frequently Asked Questions about the new Concurrent Receipt and Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) laws.Back to TopGot questions or concerns? If you have any questions or find any information that you believe is incorrect please e-mail us at benefits@military-inc.com.Print this page Email to friends Newsletter signup Pay LinksActive Duty Pay2008 Proposed Pay Charts Special Pays 2008 Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) 2008 Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) Military Pay Basics See All
Benefits UpdatesWeek of March 31, 2008Combat Pay Counts for Stimulus Payment Vietnam Wall Goes Digital How to Get College Credit for Military Experience Get Help Finding Help VA Launches Mobile Pharmacies See AllBenefits Home Burial and Memorial Education Insurance Legal Matters Life Insurance Military Pay Resources Space "A" Travel Survivor Benefits TRICARE VA Home Loans Veteran Benefits Veteran Health Care CHAMPVA Overview Enrollment Process Health Care Basics Health Care Co-Pays Health Care Eligibility HealtheVet Program Veteran State Benefits
Benefits UpdatesWeek of March 31, 2008Combat Pay Counts for Stimulus Payment Vietnam Wall Goes Digital How to Get College Credit for Military Experience Get Help Finding Help VA Launches Mobile Pharmacies See AllBenefits Home Burial and Memorial Education Insurance Legal Matters Life Insurance Military Pay Resources Space "A" Travel Survivor Benefits TRICARE VA Home Loans Veteran Benefits Veteran Health Care CHAMPVA Overview Enrollment Process Health Care Basics Health Care Co-Pays Health Care Eligibility HealtheVet Program Veteran State Benefits
Misdirected Email Doomed Convoy
April 09, 2008Military.comby Joseph R. Chenelly Four year ago today, an unarmored, undermanned convoy of fuel trucks was erroneously sent directly into some of the fiercest fighting Iraq had seen. When the smoke cleared, nine Americans lay dead, 17 were seriously wounded and two missing in action. One still is.An Army after-action report obtained exclusively by Military.com shows it all could have been avoided but for grievous errors made when accuracy mattered most - from pre-mission assessments of how dangerous the route was to a misdirected email that would have stopped the convoy before it ever left the base.The 280-page report calls for a deeper investigation into the botched e-mail and other errors running up to the tragic events of April 9, 2004. But despite numerous queries, the Army won't say whether such an investigation has or will take place -- and the military hasn't announced any disciplinary action for the mistakes leading up to the ambush.It took nearly four full years to account for the whereabouts of every Soldier killed that day, and a contractor who was working for Kellogg, Brown and Root remains MIA but is presumed dead. Staff Sgt. Keith "Matt" Maupin was a private first-class when he was captured during the ambush. He was promoted several times while he was missing for nearly four years. His remains were located northwest of Baghdad in late March of this year.One other civilian contractor, Timothy Bell, is still unaccounted for.Driving into fireWhen the 24 Soldiers and 19 contractors pulled out of the gate at Logistical Support Area Anaconda near Balad, Iraq, on that April morning, they had no idea that more than half of them would be killed, captured or wounded that day.The after-action report, which was part of a command-requested inquiry, shows that communication breakdowns had terrible consequences.A battalion tasked with tracking dangerous conditions on supply routes was so mixed up that its Soldiers were reporting three different threat levels for the route the convoy took.Originally prepared to head north, the convoy had its destination changed to Baghdad International Airport - south - just a few hours before it was set to hit the road that day. Next, and only minutes before it was set to depart, the convoy's route to the airport was changed; code named Alternate Supply Route "Sword," it was to take them to the airport's north gate. Then, just before the doomed line of vehicles pulled through the gate to leave, an e-mail intended to halt the convoy was sent to the wrong address.The Army report, written by a major working for Col. Gary Bunch, the commander of 172nd Corps Support Group, states: "The information that was not forwarded had a direct influence into the outcome of this convoy. If the information was properly sent to subordinate units, action could have been taken to potentially minimize impact of hostile engagement with the 724th [Transportation Company] convoy."These costly mistakes sent 19 unarmored fuel tankers driven by civilian contractors and guarded by a single platoon from the 724th, a Reserve company out of Illinois, down "IED alley" and into a battle between the 1st Cavalry Division and hundreds of insurgents.By the end of the attack on the convoy, every vehicle was damaged and more than half were destroyed.According to interviews with Soldiers and the Army report, the fuel convoy was hit just outside the airport by one of the largest coordinated ambushes any coalition force had faced in Iraq to date - with the fighting covering a five-mile stretch."There is no way to exaggerate what was happening and what it looked like," recalled Spc. Jarob Walsh, who was riding shotgun in a Kellogg, Brown and Root fuel tanker. "The most horrible thing you could imagine is what it looked like. Bodies everywhere, trucks on fire and exploding."The seven vehicles that escorted the fuel convoy included armored Humvees and 5-ton gun trucks with heavy machine guns. Some of the 5-tons' "armor" consisted of three-quarter-inch plywood, according to one Soldier. None had ballistic windshields.The color of dangerAccording to the report, the route that the convoy traveled was on that day classified as black - the most dangerous of all conditions. But that information may never have gotten to those who planned the route that morning. After the attack, Soldiers of the 49th Movement Control Battalion's Highway Section told investigators Alternate Supply Route Sword was rated black, the report states, but on the morning of April 9 the section's secure Web site indicated the route was red, less dangerous. Meanwhile, the officer in charge of the 152nd Movement Control Team at Anaconda recalled in the report that he thought the status of ASR Sword was amber.However you want to color it, the route had a reputation as dangerous.An unidentified Soldier with the 49th said in the report that the route to the north gate was rarely used and had always been a hot spot, adding: "The route had been tagged IED alley."The route the convoy originally was supposed to take was Major Supply Route Tampa, and the Army's report shows that a fuel convoy that left Anaconda just 30 minutes earlier and took that route arrived at the airport unscathed.Didn't get the emailThe investigation shows that the 13th Corps Support Command's G-3 section mishandled a critical e-mail that should have stopped or redirected the convoy. The G-3 first sent an e-mail to the 172nd's operations section at 9:54 a.m., saying the 724th convoy was to be redirected through ASR Sword to the airport's north gate. It is unclear where this order originated.Three minutes later, the same G-3 Soldier sent another e-mail to cancel the redirection down ASR Sword."Sorry, it looks like Sword is closed until further notice. I am trying to deconflict," the e-mail read.But the only person to receive that second e-mail was the Soldier who sent it. He accidentally addressed the e-mail to himself only. The sender's name was blacked out in the edited version of the report.Less than 10 minutes later the convoy was rolling toward the ambush.The Soldiers killed in the ambush were Sgt. Elmer Krause, 40; Spc. Greg Goodrich, 37; and Maupin who was 20 when captured. The contractors killed were Steven Fisher, 43; William Bradley, 50; Steven Hulett, 48; Jack Montegue, 52; Jeffrey Parker, 45; Tony Johnson, 47; and presumably Bell, who was 61 at the time.The Army called the recovery effort of Maupin "Operation Trojan Honor" after the mascot of his Cincinnati high school, Glen Este. A tip from an Iraqi citizen led to the recovery of Maupin's remains March 20 in the Abu Ghraib area- about 12 miles from where he was captured.Although the Army finally found its last Soldier from the disastrous mission, many questions remain for families and those who were on the convoy."Really, the public hasn't been told what we did that day," said Sgt. Matthew Bohm, a gunner in the 724th who was in the rear of the convoy. "The full story needs to come out."
Civil War-era Soldier Graves Robbed
April 09, 2008Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Working in secret, federal archaeologists have dug up the remains of dozens of Soldiers and children near a Civil War-era fort after an informant tipped them off about widespread grave-looting. The exhumations, conducted from August to October, removed 67 skeletons from the parched desert soil around Fort Craig - 39 men, two women and 26 infants and children, according to two federal archaeologists who helped with the dig. They also found scores of empty graves and determined 20 had been looted. The government kept its exhumation of the unmarked cemetery near the historic New Mexico fort out of the public's eye for months to prevent more thefts. The investigation began with a tip about an amateur historian who had displayed the mummified remains of a black Soldier, draped in a Civil War-era uniform, in his house. Investigators say the historian, Dee Brecheisen, may have been a prolific looter who spotted historical sites from his plane. Brecheisen died in 2004 and although it was not clear whether the looting continued after his death, authorities exhumed the unprotected site to prevent future thefts. "As an archaeologist, you want to leave a site in place for preservation ... but we couldn't do that because it could be looted again," Jeffery Hanson, of the Bureau of Reclamation, told The Associated Press. The remains are being studied by Bureau of Reclamation scientists, who are piecing together information on their identities. They will eventually be reburied at other national cemeteries. Most of the men are believed to have been Soldiers - Fort Craig protected settlers in the West from American Indian raids and played a role in the Civil War. Union troops stationed there fought the Confederacy as it moved into New Mexico from Texas in 1862. The children buried there may have been local residents treated by doctors at the former frontier outpost, officials said. Federal officials learned of the looting in November 2004, when Don Alberts, a retired historian for Kirtland Air Force Base, tipped them off about a macabre possession he'd seen at Brecheisen's home about 30 years earlier. Alberts described seeing the mummified remains of a black Soldier with patches of brown flesh clinging to facial bones and curly hair on top of its skull. Alberts said the body had come from Fort Craig. "The first thing we did was laughed because who would believe such a story," Hanson said. "But then we quickly decided we better go down and check it out." Weeks later, Hanson and fellow archaeologist Mark Hungerford surveyed the cemetery site and found numerous holes - evidence of unauthorized digging. While records show the cemetery had been disinterred twice by the Army in the late 1800s, it wasn't known how many bodies remained. Hanson said ground-penetrating radar revealed the Army left behind about one-third of the bodies. A lack of funding and various federal procedures delayed the excavation until last summer. Brecheisen's son told authorities where the mummified remains from his father's home were, and a person who hasn't been publicly identified handed them over - including a more-than-century-old skull packaged in a brown paper bag. Alberts said that skull, which still had hair attached, was the one he'd seen years earlier. Authorities also found some Civil War and American Indian artifacts in Brecheisen's home, but the display rooms that showcased Brecheisen's collections had already been emptied out and auctioned off by his family after his death, Hanson said. Investigators believe Brecheisen did most of his looting alone, but they also know he dug with close friends and family at the Fort Craig site. Some who accompanied him led authorities to the grave sites, Hanson said. Brecheisen was a decorated Vietnam veteran and flew for the Air National Guard during a 26-year military career. His family described him as "one of the state's foremost preservationists of historical facts and sites" in his obituary. Those close to Brecheisen said his looting may have been motivated by anger toward the Bureau of Land Management, but no further details were available. Alberts described him as a collector; it wasn't clear whether Brecheisen sold any of the items. Investigators believe he also dug up grave sites in Fort Thorn and Fort Conrad in southern New Mexico as well as prehistoric American Indian burial sites in the Four Corners region. Hungerford said they also believe he may have taken the Fort Craig burial plot map, which is missing from the National Archives. The criminal case against Brecheisen was closed upon his death and there are no plans to investigate his family members, assistant U.S. Attorney Mary McCulloch said. Alberts said he asked Brecheisen to come clean. "I had urged him to simply return the remains, about 10, 15 years before he got ill. I offered to act as an honest broker to the deal and see that they were returned, but I didn't get a response," Alberts said. "I didn't want to get a friend in trouble." He added: "But you look back and think you would have done everything differently if you would have known everything was going to disappear."
Deployment Guide
FUND FOR VETERANS' EDUCATION ANNOUNCES NEW ROUND OF SCHOLARSHIPS FOR VETERANS RETURNING FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTANFVE will award up to $3.5 million in 2008-09 in undergraduate scholarships for veterans returning From Iraq and Afghanistan. Applications are available beginning April 1st for the fall 2008 term. The next application deadline is June 15, 2008. The awards, which may be renewed for the following academic year, are intended to cover financial need not met with need-based grants and military education benefits. For more information and application, visit http://www.veteransfund.org.
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